[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 42 (Friday, March 2, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8994-8996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04328]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-7049-N]


Medicare, Medicaid, and Other Programs, Initiatives, and 
Priorities; Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education 
(APOE), March 21, 2018

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the next meeting of the Advisory Panel 
on Outreach and Education (APOE) (Panel) in accordance with the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act. The Panel advises and makes recommendations to 
the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
(CMS) on opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of consumer 
education strategies concerning CMS programs, initiatives, and 
priorities. This meeting is open to the public.

DATES: 
    Meeting Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
eastern daylight time (e.d.t.).
    Deadline for Meeting Registration, Presentations, Special 
Accommodations and Comments: Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 5:00 p.m. 
eastern standard time (e.s.t.).

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting Location: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 
Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Room 505A, 
Conference Room, Washington, DC 20201.
    Presentations and Written Comments: Presentations and written 
comments should be submitted to: Lynne Johnson, Acting Designated 
Federal Official (DFO), Office of Communications, Centers for Medicare 
& Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mailstop S1-05-06, 
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or via email at [email protected].
    Registration: The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is 
limited to the space available. Persons wishing to attend this meeting 
must register at the website https://www.regonline.com/apoemar2018meeting or by contacting the Acting DFO as listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice, by the date listed 
in the DATES section of this notice. Individuals requiring sign 
language interpretation or other special accommodations should contact 
the Acting DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice by the date listed in the DATES section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynne Johnson, Acting Designated 
Federal Official, Office of Communications, CMS, 7500 Security 
Boulevard, Mail Stop S1-05-06, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, 410-786-0090, 
email [email protected]. Additional information about the APOE 
is available on the internet at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/APOE.html. Press inquiries are handled through 
the CMS Press Office at (202) 690-6145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education (APOE) (Panel) is 
governed by the provisions of Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) 
(Pub. L. 92-463), as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth 
standards for the formation and use of federal advisory committees. The 
Panel is authorized by section 1114(f) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1314(f)) and section 222 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 217a).
    The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS) (the Secretary) signed the charter establishing the Citizen's 
Advisory Panel on Medicare Education \1\ (the predecessor to the APOE) 
on January 21, 1999 (64 FR 7899, February 17, 1999) to advise and make 
recommendations to the Secretary and the Administrator of the Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the effective implementation 
of national Medicare education programs, including with respect to the 
Medicare+Choice (M+C) program added by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 
(Pub. L. 105-33).
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    \1\ We note that the Citizen's Advisory Panel on Medicare 
Education is also referred to as the Advisory Panel on Medicare 
Education (65 FR 4617). The name was updated in the Second Amended 
Charter approved on July 24, 2000.
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    The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Pub. L. 108-173) 
expanded the existing health plan options and benefits available under 
the M+C program and renamed it the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. We 
have had substantial responsibilities to provide information to 
Medicare beneficiaries about the range of health plan options available 
and better tools to evaluate these options. The successful MA program 
implementation required CMS to consider the views and

[[Page 8995]]

policy input from a variety of private sector constituents and to 
develop a broad range of public-private partnerships.
    In addition, Title I of the MMA authorized the Secretary and the 
Administrator of CMS (by delegation) to establish the Medicare 
prescription drug benefit. The drug benefit allows beneficiaries to 
obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. In order to effectively 
administer the MA program and the Medicare prescription drug benefit, 
we have substantial responsibilities to provide information to Medicare 
beneficiaries about the range of health plan options and benefits 
available, and to develop better tools to evaluate these plans and 
benefits.
    The Affordable Care Act (Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
Act, Pub. L. 111-148, and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act 
of 2010, Pub. L. 111-152) expanded the availability of other options 
for health care coverage and enacted a number of changes to Medicare as 
well as to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). 
Qualified individuals and qualified employers are now able to purchase 
private health insurance coverage through a competitive marketplace, 
called an Affordable Insurance Exchange (also called Health Insurance 
Marketplace\SM\ \2\, or Marketplace\SM\). In order to effectively 
implement and administer these changes, we must provide information to 
consumers, providers, and other stakeholders through education and 
outreach programs regarding how existing programs will change and the 
expanded range of health coverage options available, including private 
health insurance coverage through the Marketplace\SM\. The APOE allows 
us to consider a broad range of views and information from interested 
audiences in connection with this effort and to identify opportunities 
to enhance the effectiveness of education strategies concerning the 
Affordable Care Act.
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    \2\ Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\ and Marketplace\SM\ are 
service marks of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
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    The scope of this Panel also includes advising on issues pertaining 
to the education of providers and stakeholders with respect to the 
Affordable Care Act and certain provisions of the Health Information 
Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act enacted as 
part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
    On January 21, 2011, the Panel's charter was renewed and the Panel 
was renamed the Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education. The Panel's 
charter was most recently renewed on January 19, 2017, and will 
terminate on January 19, 2019 unless renewed by appropriate action.
    Under the current charter, the APOE will advise the Secretary and 
the Administrator on optimal strategies for the following:
     Developing and implementing education and outreach 
programs for individuals enrolled in, or eligible for, Medicare, 
Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or 
coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\ and 
other CMS programs.
     Enhancing the federal government's effectiveness in 
informing Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and 
CHIP consumers, issuers, providers, and stakeholders, through education 
and outreach programs, on issues regarding these programs, including 
the appropriate use of public-private partnerships to leverage the 
resources of the private sector in educating beneficiaries, providers, 
and stakeholders.
     Expanding outreach to vulnerable and underserved 
communities, including racial and ethnic minorities, in the context of 
Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP 
education programs and other CMS programs.
     Assembling and sharing an information base of ``best 
practices'' for helping consumers evaluate health coverage options.
     Building and leveraging existing community infrastructures 
for information, counseling, and assistance.
     Drawing the program link between outreach and education, 
promoting consumer understanding of health care coverage choices, and 
facilitating consumer selection/enrollment, which in turn support the 
overarching goal of improved access to quality care, including 
prevention services, envisioned under the Affordable Care Act.
    The current members of the Panel are: Kellan Baker, Associate 
Director, Center for American Progress; Robert Blancato, President, 
National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs; Deborah 
Britt, Executive Director of Community & Public Relations, Piedmont 
Fayette Hospital; Deena Chisolm, Associate Professor of Pediatrics & 
Public Health, The Ohio State University, Nationwide Children's 
Hospital; Robert Espinoza, Vice President of Policy, Paraprofessional 
Healthcare Institute; Louise Scherer Knight, Director, The Sidney 
Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins; Roanne Osborne-
Gaskin, M.D., Senior Medical Director, MDWise, Inc.; Cathy Phan, 
Outreach and Education Coordinator, Asian American Health Coalition DBA 
HOPE Clinic; Kamilah Pickett, Litigation Support, Independent 
Contractor; Alvia Siddiqi, Medicaid Managed Care Community Network 
(MCCN) Medical Director, Advocate Physician Partners, Carla Smith, 
Executive Vice President, Healthcare Information and Management Systems 
Society (HIMSS); Tobin Van Ostern, Vice President and Co-Founder, Young 
Invincibles Advisors; and Paula Villescaz, Senior Consultant, Assembly 
Health Committee, California State Legislature.

II. Provisions of This Notice

    In accordance with section 10(a) of the FACA, this notice announces 
a meeting of the APOE. The agenda for the March 21, 2018 meeting will 
include the following:

 Welcome and listening session with CMS leadership
 Recap of the previous (September 13, 2017) meeting
 CMS programs, initiatives, and priorities
 An opportunity for public comment
 Meeting summary, review of recommendations, and next steps

    Individuals or organizations that wish to make a 5-minute oral 
presentation on an agenda topic should submit a written copy of the 
oral presentation to the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES section of this 
notice. The number of oral presentations may be limited by the time 
available. Individuals not wishing to make an oral presentation may 
submit written comments to the DFO at the address listed in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES 
section of this notice.

III. Security Guidelines

    The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to the 
space available. Persons wishing to attend this meeting must register 
by contacting the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice or by telephone at the number listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice by the date specified in the 
DATES section of this notice. This meeting will be held in a federal 
government building, the Hubert H. Humphrey (HHH) Building; therefore, 
federal security measures are applicable.

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    The REAL ID Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-13) establishes minimum 
standards for the issuance of state-issued driver's licenses and 
identification (ID) cards. It prohibits federal agencies from accepting 
an official driver's license or ID card from a state for any official 
purpose unless the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security 
determines that the state meets these standards. Beginning October 
2015, photo IDs (such as a valid driver's license) issued by a state or 
territory not in compliance with the Real ID Act will not be accepted 
as identification to enter federal buildings. Visitors from these 
states/territories will need to provide alternative proof of 
identification (such as a valid passport) to gain entrance into federal 
buildings. The current list of states from which a federal agency may 
accept driver's licenses for an official purpose is found at http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief.
    We recommend that confirmed registrants arrive reasonably early, 
but no earlier than 45 minutes prior to the start of the meeting, to 
allow additional time to clear security. Security measures include the 
following:
     Presentation of a government-issued photographic 
identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard Service 
personnel.
     Inspection, via metal detector or other applicable means, 
of all persons entering the building. We note that all items brought 
into HHH Building, whether personal or for the purpose of presentation 
or to support a presentation, are subject to inspection. We cannot 
assume responsibility for coordinating the receipt, transfer, 
transport, storage, set up, safety, or timely arrival of any personal 
belongings or items used for presentation or to support a presentation.

    Note: Individuals who are not registered in advance will not be 
permitted to enter the building and will be unable to attend the 
meeting.


    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 217a, sec. 222 of the Public Health Service 
Act, as amended; 42 U.S.C. 1314(f), sec. 1114(f) of the Social 
Security Act; and Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2); 
41 CFR 102-3.

    Dated: February 21, 2018.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2018-04328 Filed 3-1-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4120-01-P